Spool or reel



A ril 26, 1927.

H. E. BRYANT SPOOL 0R REEL Original Filed Aug. 6, 1923 Zflae Wergyi Patented 26, 1%27.

HENRY E. BRYANT, OF PRGVIDENCE,RHODE ISLAND, AS SIGNOR T TUBULAR WOVEN FABRIC COMPANY, (3F E'AVITUCKET, BHGDE IsLAIgD.

isnaiin, A CORPORATION OF RHOIDE SPOOL on REEL.

Original application filed August 6, 1923, Serial is. 655,945. Dividedand this application filed October 15,1925. Serial no. 62,760. Y

The presentinvention relates to an articleor structure in the nature of a spool or reel adapted to carry a supplyot material such as may be generically designated as slender elongated material, and may be speciticallj strip orvribbon stock, cord, wire, rope, tubing. or the like, wound 'in the form of coil, and to be mounted rotatably in a manner permitting such strip oranalogous materialto be drawn oil for use. More particularly. the embodiment of the present invention herein illustrated has been designed and intended for. application and use with a machine for winding or coiling softiron strip material into a helix so as to form a poses, or flexible metallic armor upon elcctrical cables, and analogous goods; receivin'gthe coils of such stockin the condition n which they are furnished by the makers,

without needoit rewin'ding, and holding the coils in a condition and position such that the stool; may be drawn o'fi from the outer circumference of the coil placed on thespool.

This specific eu ibodiment of the invention is illustrative, however. and not limitative as to the forms and dimensions in whichthe p1l11ClplCS of the invention may be embodied, or the uses or purposes towhich it may be put, or the characteristics of the-material wbich may be placed'upon the spool embodying such principles.

Iiitlie drawings,-- v

, Fig. 1 is an axial sect-ion oi the illustrativc embodiment of the invention above re ierred to, showing the same in association witha supporting means and with means for gui'ding' to a place of use the material held by the spool; 5 'Fig. 2 is an elevation as seen from the hub 13. V v hooks 21 and notches 22 adapted to embrace and receive, respectively, the protruding right hand side of Fig. 1, with the supporting means shown in section; Y

. Fig. 8 is'an elevation, partly brokenawa of the detachable head or retainer which forms a part of the complete. spool, I

Fig. .4: is a detail view showing in perspec- IE-111670116 oi the eccentric load centering and locking elements'with which the spool is provided. 1

Describing new the spool or reel. here shown for illustration, said spool comprises as its principal parts an end of head member 11, an opposite end or head member, or

is secured to the head 11, and spaced apart therefrom, by bolts 14, having-threaded ends screwed into'ta'pped holes in the hub 13 and; shoulders 15, limiting the penetration of such threaded ends. The head ends of the bolts 14 are set in the header end'member 11 of the spool, and may be threaded or ether-wise secured therein so asfto prevent relative endwise movement; Inthe form.

here shown, however, such endwise movement in .the direction WlllOh would narrow the space betweenthevparts 11 and 13 is prevented by accessory parts later described. Shafts orrods 16', supporting and centermg the load on the spool, are mounted-in retainer,'12, and a hub or' disc member 13,

towhich said removablehea'd or retainer 12 is detachably'connected. Thedisc or hub 13 the head 11 and hub 13, passing through bearing apertures in the former and being seated in recesses provided for their recep tion-in the periphery ofthe latter. "Those parts of said shafts or rods which cross the space between the head 11 and hub 13 are enlarged and made eccentric to the trunnions or supporting parts of the shafts which have t-heir bearings in the head and. hubgas above described. Theends'l'i ofthe shafts project outwardly from the hub.

far enough to pass through and'project beyon'd the detachable head or retainer 12 and are threaded to receive clamp nuts or abutinents18. Y

The detachable head or retainer has a central hole 19 adapted to fit over a boss 20 centrally arranged on the outer side of the Said retainer is also provided with ends 17 of the centering shafts.

engaged with, or disengaged it'romthe'main portion of the spool by giving it a partial rotation, without wholly removing theclamping-nuts; but such 1 nuts when tightened: up on the retainer,.prevent removal 7 thereof. I

' with a central part and. arms only.-

' tion.

' 23 represents a support or bearing of any suitable character, or a spindle or shaft on which the. spool may be mounted; That here shown is a stationary bearing: sleeve about which the spool may'rotate. On thissupport are a fixed rib 24, and a removable collar 25', the latter secured by a setscrew'26, and the head 11 is confined'b'etween such rib and collar with sufiicieut freedom for rotation. Thereis also mounted on the support 13'and close to the outer side of the head 11, a gear 27 which is confined ro tatably, between the same rib 2st and acollar 28 secured by a set screw 29. The gear '27 serves in this construction as one embodiment of the means, previously referred to. which prevents endwise movement of the bolts let relative to the head 11, in a direction-which would permit the hub 13 to approach the head. The centering shafts are also -means' for securing the same result, inasmuch as their enlarged eccentric central portions pro- .vide shoulders abutting against the inner surfaces of the head lland hub 13 so as to prevent-approach of one to the other.

The gear -27'has an additional function,

.namely,"to transmit rotary movement from one ofthe centering shafts to all the. others. Said shafts are spaced equally from and around-the axis of. the spool and carry pinions 30 meshing with the gear 27. and one ofthem has a squared end 31 adapted to receive a wrench. They are keyed or otherwise rigidly secured totheir respective pinions-so that relativerotation between them and their pinions is impossible. All of the pinionshave the same pitch diameter. Hence when the shaft equipped with the squared end is rotated, the other centering shafts are equally rotated in the same direc- They are all initially set up with their eccentric portions bearing the same relation to the spool as-a whole, so that when the eccentric part of one is turned inward or outward, the others are turned in the same manner and to the same degree; that is, the eccentrics are all turned inwardwith respect to the axis of-th'e spool, or all turned outward at the same time. A look 32., which, as here-shown, is a latch mountedon the head 11, but may be of other suitable charaeter, is arranged to engage one of thepinions 30 detachably so as to retain the eccen- This construction enables the detachable head to be trioshafts in any position in which they may be put. The same or an equivalent lock may be applied'to' the gear 2'2.

33 represents a guide arni l'iaving a roll 3e-at its ends, around which the strip passes from the spool on its way to the winding point. The guide arm here shown is a part of the machine disclosed in my parent application before identified, and is pivoted at 35 on a. collar 36 fixed to a tubular sp1n-,

die- 37, which rotates within the bearing23. The strip passes around the guide roll 34 and a second guide roll 38. mounted onjthe collar 36, and thence through the bore of the tubular shaft to the winding instru mentalities. A cable 39 tobe'armorcd may also be passed through the shaft. arm maybe held in normal position beside the spool by means of ab'racket 40 on the collar 36, and a. branch 41 from the arm 33, said bracket and branch being coupled to-' gether by a removable pin 42.

The guide Inreplenishing the spooluthe guidearm is released by withdrawing. the coupling pin 4-2Land is then turned down into the dotted line position 33*, where. itis near enough to theaXis of the spool to permit withdrawal ofthe retainer 12"; forthe distancebetween thepivot 32 and the opposite side of the collar 36 is less thanthe diameter of the hole 19 in the retainer. The clamp nuts 18 are backed off enough to free the retainer, and the latter is turned far enough to release. its hooks from the clamp nuts, and is moved away from the main body of the spool in a mannerrepresented by the dotted line construction 12*.

Tfat the time of replenishment,there is a cable in placeipassing through the spool and throughv a reserve coil of the strip material, it is necessary to remove theretainer sidewise from the cable to put it out of the way ofthereserve coil, and in order thus to disengage it from the cable, the retainer is provided with gateways 453' and Hinits central portion andrimrespectively, wide enough to permit passage of the cable. A gate 45 is arranged to be secured across the gateway 43 with provision for being turned aside to open such gateway. This gate, while a useful adjunct, is not an essential featurevof the spool. V

lViththe removal of the retainer as'just described, a coil of the material may be passed over the hub 13 and the centering shafts 16, the latter having beenturned so that their eccentric parts project inwardly, and then the coil is centered and made fast to the spool by turning the shafts so that their eccentric parts project outwardly. Then the retainer or detachable head is replaced by reversal ofthe steps employed in removing it. c y 7 In, here describing the environment and device here illustrated is one embodiment of a generic invention in a spool or reel adapted to receive material of elongated and narrow form, Whether thesame is ribbon stock, wire, rope, tubing, or anything of that nature, which has been previously formed into a coil; thus avoiding the loss of time and expense of rcwinding the material on the spool prior to use, as well as the expense of providing a spool with each coil. I

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A spool for holding strip material, said spool having a detachable head, and centering means adapted to occupy the interior of such roll, said centering means comprisingrotatable shafts having eccentric portions adjacent to the inner circumference of suchroll. and being so rotatable as to apply outward pressure to the roll.

2. A spool or reel for holding slender, elongated material and comprising a central structure including: shafts equally spaced about and parallel with a common axis, said shafts being rotatablymounted in said'central structure and having eccentric portions arranged to be brought by such rotation into position more or less distant from said axis. v

3; A reel or spool comprising a head, a central structure adapted to receive a sur rounding coil of previously coiled elongated,

slender material, and centering '1Il93,1'1$ associated with said central structure and having eccentric portions movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the axis oi the spool. v

4. A spool comprising a head, a hub or disc member axially displaced from the head, a second head detachably connected with said hub, and centering shafts rotatably mounted in the first named head and said liub,and

having eccentric portions adapted to be turned inwardly or outwardly with respectto the ktXlS'Of the spool.

A spool comprising a head, a hub or disc member axially displaced from the head, a second head detachably connected with said hub, centering shafts rotatably mounted in the first named head and said hub and having eccentric portions adapted to i be turned inwardly or outwardly with respect to the axis of the spool, pinions mounted on said shafts, and a common transmis adapted to enter the interior of such a roll, a head adapted to engage one end of the roll,-

a detachable head adapted to engage the opposite end otthe roll, and means-tor securing said detachable head to the central structure,

the detachable head having a central opening and a lateral passage from said opening to the periphery of-the head.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. l

HENRY E. BRYANT. 

